Fort Douaumont
:The French Second Army made the first attempt to recapture the fort in late May 1916. They occupied the western end of the fort for 36 hours but were dislodged after suffering heavy losses, mostly from German artillery and trench mortars that had been brought at proximity. The Germans stubbornly held onto the fort, as it provided shelter for troops and served as a first aid station and logistics centre. Afterwards, French artillery continued to shell the fort, turning the area into a pockmarked moonscape, traces of which are still visible today. :– In-game loading screen Fort Douaumont is a map at the centre of which stands the eponymous fort, surrounded by a great number of trench lines. The map is based around the eponymous fort and the Battle of Verdun itself. The main difficulty for German forces is holding onto the fort section, called 'Barracks' before being driven back to the next line. While in the fort area, artillery and gas is singularly ineffective, as it cannot penetrate the dense layers of concrete and earth; interestingly, reconnaissance planes can see through the great walls and fortifications of the fort, granting insight into the location of the enemy. However, outside the fort area, it is quite effective, with shallow trenches in most areas. Entente strategy Entente strategy to win is quite simple – take the barracks portion of the fort. After that point, attacks can be raised on various other portions of the line. Attacking Barracks Taking the barracks is quite simple. On the righthand side of the fort, there are a number of rooms which are open to Entente attack. While they are generally defended by German troops, it is not altogether hard to overcome. Holding some number of troops in these rooms, which are practically trivial to defend, will yield the fort in minutes. Breaking out into the corridor behind the rooms is more difficult. On the left, on the hills overlooking the large tunnel on the mid-left side, it is almost trivial for Entente snipers to take down enemy soldiers as they enter into the tunnel, all whilst providing long range cover against an enemy flanking attack via far left. German second line The German second line, behind the Barracks is harder to attack. The centre of the map in that area is a deathtrap, surrounded by good sniping positions held by the Germans on the flanks. Entente forces should attempt to ford through those flanks to take them out directly, first with grenades, and then with overwhelming force. It is generally problematic to hold this line, since Germans will spawn on the hill behind the line, mostly out of sight, and quickly able to take back control of areas before they are settled-in. There exist useful sniping positions in the far right of the German line and the hill in front of the German left. These can be useful in taking out enemy snipers on the flanks and providing some cover for those unfortunate souls attempting to take the centre with a frontal assault. Defending Entente first line If defending, the enemy will spawn on the left-mid crater slightly to the right of the mid-left tunnel. Generally, the Germans either advance diagonally into the centre of the map, where they can be destroyed by interlocking fire, or into the far left. The latter is more dangerous, as there is ample cover on left. Entente positions are probably best concentrated on the upper level, with close-quarters troops roaming the lower levels cleaning the area from footholds. Barracks Defending the barracks is quite simple. Hold the far right entrance with around one squad, hold the left entrance with one squad, and hold the far left with two. The far left is by far the weakest portion of the line – German troops can easily infiltrate and then take control of the bunker on the extreme left of the line, which is difficult to take without overwhelming force and grenades. The German foothold will almost always be either the far left bunker or in the rooms at the centre of the fort. The far left bunker can be very problematic in that Germans can then spawn and flank the troops defending the mid-left tunnel. The rooms are also eminently defendable, posing a major problem flushing out any defenders when not reloading. German strategy Hold the Barracks at all costs. Take the Entente first line. It is very difficult for the Entente to retake that line, with two major sniping positions on the flanks which can gun down advancing Entente forces. The barbed wire on the German right at the first Entente line funnels Entente soldiers either into the open in a futile attempt to jump over the wire, or into the centre, where they can be cut down by the two flank sniping positions. Category:Maps